The present invention relates to an ergometer having driving machinery set in motion by the user and producing a rotational movement, a load device consisting of a generator connected with the driving machinery, and a load connected to the generator output, as well as a regulator controlling the electrical power dissipation of the load device on the basis of a comparison between a given nominal value and an actual value produced by an actual value transmitter.
Since the power to be produced by the user of the ergometer on the driving machinery is composed of the electrical power dissipation of the load device and the mechanical losses in the ergometer, the mechanical losses being dependent on the rotational speed, which losses can attain a considerable magnitude, the nominal value transmitted to the regulator in the case of a known ergometer, for example, that disclosed in West German Pat. No. (DT-OS) 1,616,895, is composed of a constant voltage being produced by way of a circuit connected to the generator, and a voltage proportional to the speed of the generator, which voltage is produced by a tachometric device. Nevertheless, the power to be produced by the test person is not independent of the speed since the mechanical losses will only in part increase linearly with the speed. Other components or losses are quadratically dependent on the rotational speed, or increase with the third power, for instance, as in the case for the driving power of a fan for the generator. Therefore, the user cannot produce an exactly defined capacity although the load device is controlled.